Daron.Dean@staugustine.com for Shorelines The Florida Forest Service conducts an ecological prescribed burn in the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve, on the East side of Sate Road A1A, in South Ponte Vedra Beach Jan. 22.

Below: The Florida Forest Service conducts an ecological prescribed burn in the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve on the east side of Florida A1A in South Ponte Vedra Beach on Jan. 22.

The concept seems bizarre: setting fires in order to prevent them, but listen to Joe Burgess’ explanation for the recent and deliberate blazes at Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve, and it all makes sense.

Burgess, resource management coordinator at the reserve, said that the intentional fires that took place on Jan. 17 and Jan. 22 are helping to shape its ecosystem. Those seemingly out-of-control flames observable from Florida A1A spell out renewal for portions of the wildlife reserve.

“The specific pattern of fire; including how hot it burns, during which season, and how frequently it burns, helps dictate the types of plants and animals found in a particular area,” Burgess said. “Some plants in fire-dependent communities will only flower and produce seed after a fire — the reason being that there is open ground space and reduced canopy that facilitates the germination and seedlings success.”

Such plants that respond well to fire are considered to be part of a “pyrogenic community.” Burgess pointed out that different habitats in the reserve require different fire frequency. Beach dunes need a cleansing fire approximately once every decade while the freshwater marshes at the reserve require a three- to five-year burn rotation.

Prescribed burns in the reserve are often carried out in dunes scrub and woodlands near homes particularly along coastal highway A1A, reducing the threat of future wildfires. So far, the two January controlled fires have taken place on beach dunes on the east side of South Ponte Vedra Boulevard.

Recent burns inside the reserve also serve to cut down on the spread of invasive species, allowing native species to regain the habitat. For instance, the fires have reduced a percentage of the reserve’s population of saw palmettos while gaining more habitat ground for the Florida rosemary. They also cleared ground for the gopher tortoise, a species that digs burrows which other native animals rely on for shelter.

In the coming weeks, when conditions are again favorable for a burn, more areas in the GTM Research Reserve that are considered “burn ready” will be lit up for an ecological prescribed burn. These three separate 15-acre tracts are scheduled to be burned over the next few months.

For more information on prescribed burns and wildfire prevention within the Reserve, contact the GTM Research Reserve Education Center at (904) 823-4500.